A Helping Hand
by evenhisfacewasanalias
Summary: "It's fine, Ravi. Just one more thing I don't get to have any more, like peanut butter or a steady pulse." Ravi may not have found a cure for her, but he can help her with this at least. Shameless PWP, set pre-Lowell.


"It's fine, Ravi. Just one more thing I don't get to have any more, like peanut butter or a steady pulse."

She's not sure how they ended up on the topic of sex, or specifically, how Liv hasn't had any since her zombification. She and Ravi had just been enjoying a nice, normal dinner at her place, an increasingly common occurrence nowadays, especially when Peyton is stuck working evenings at the DA's. But somehow going over their current murder case has led them here.

"It's not a big deal, I've got so much on my plate right now I barely miss it."

"You barely miss _sex_?" His tone is incredulous, and the excuse rings false even to her own ears. "Liv, it's just not healthy."

"I mean I can still…you know." Liv has never been so thankful for the lack of blood in her body that keeps her from blushing right now. Even Ravi has the decency to look a little sheepish at her admission. "I just can't risk infecting a partner."

"Well we already know all the routes of transmission - biting, scratching, bodily fluids…"

"And just how am I supposed to avoid any of those during sex?"

"I'm very glad you asked that question, Liv."

* * *

Apparently the first step in Ravi's plan involves cutting her nails ridiculously short. He takes up each hand into his own much broader ones and begins gently clipping and filing each nail down to the quick. She could probably do this part herself, but the entire point of this insane scheme of his is human contact. She won't deny she's enjoying the warmth of his palms, and the delicate way he runs his fingers over her own to make sure they're no longer a threat. His touch continues up her wrists and forearms, until he's halted by the fabric of her sweater. She has nearly forgotten how nice it was to just be touched by someone else - she had been so careful to avoid any skin on skin contact lately that she is left unprepared for the intense heat of living flesh. And it's almost enough, just to have this. But Ravi is gently tugging off her cardigan and she remembers there's so much more she's missed, so much more that Ravi is offering her.

Making out is unfortunately off the table, but Ravi simply presses careful lips to her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, as his beard scratches across oversensitive skin. His hands continue to trace the cool skin of her arms, leaving it tingling in their wake. Her own hands reach up to run through his hair, and she's grateful for the clipped nails that keep her from scratching against his scalp like all of her instincts are begging her to. But Ravi seems to be enjoying the gentle massage of her blunted fingertips, and Liv begins to suspect this may be more than just one friend helping another out. She's oddly happy about this realization, enjoying the added dimension of normalcy to this evening.

Liv is distracted from these thoughts by the feeling of Ravi's hot mouth against her neck. He can't resist nipping at where her neck and shoulder meet, but he's careful not to bite down too hard. Liv gasps in surprise at the slight prick of his teeth against her skin, but it turns to a sigh as he soothes the bite with his tongue. His hands have snuck up under her top to press warm palms against her waist, and she can't help pressing closer to the source of that warmth. It's not nearly enough, however, and she tugs at his various layers to try and reach the skin beneath. Ravi reaches back awkwardly to pull off his sweater and the shirts beneath it all in one go, nearly getting his head stuck within all the fabric. Liv just laughs at the scene and wraps her arms around him as he continues to struggle with it. She turns her head to press her cheek against his chest, feeling the warmth that radiates off him. She listens to his heart as it beats wildly in his chest, and tries to remember how that felt. Ravi finally frees himself from his shirts only to find Liv suddenly frowning.

"Not a fan of chest hair I take it?" He teases, hoping to bring back the playful mood of a few moments ago.

"No, I mean it's nice. I'm just thinking about how I don't even have a heartbeat, really. There's so much about myself I can't even recognize anymore."

Ravi just wraps his arms more tightly around the small girl. "Liv, no one recognizes their old self. Everyone changes, it's just part of living."

"And dying, apparently." It's a bit morbid as far as jokes go, but that's them, and it's enough to lighten the mood and remind them why they're here. Ravi decides now is the time to even things up a bit, and pulls Liv's top up over her head, leaving her in her purple floral bra. He's not the least self-conscious about his own looks, but he's a little in awe of her body and feeling very honored to see her like this. Feeling encouraged by the look on his face, Liv strips off her skirt and tights as well. Her panties don't match her bra, she hadn't exactly planned for any of this, but Ravi doesn't seem to mind in the least. He's guiding her back to the bed, stepping out of his own shoes and pants along the way. When he finally settles over her it's like being wrapped in a warm quilt straight from the dryer, only so much better because Ravi is alive and real and trailing kisses down her chest. She arches up into his touch, and he takes the opportunity to reach around and unclasp her bra, pulling it gently from her shoulders. Liv's trying not to think about how Major's been the only one to see her naked for so long, how he was supposed to be the last person that ever did, but it's different now. She's different now. And Ravi is the one person she can now trust with this.

Ravi's dipping his head to mouth at her exposed chest now, and it's getting hard to think about anything else. He's still so careful with her, and she suspects he would be even if he wasn't worried about contracting zombie-ism. Ravi's always been so sweet, even when he first figured out her secret. Most people would have freaked, but he just offered to help in any way he could. She never would have guessed then that his offer would extend this far, but she won't pretend she hasn't imagined what it would be like with him. She's definitely fantasized about the the playful grin he's now wearing as he moves to blow ticklish kisses into her belly, but she wouldn't have predicted the quiet intensity he assumes as he removes the final barrier that leaves her completely naked beneath him.

Ravi spends several moments just running his palms up and down her thighs, looking his fill and making her feel a little desperate. Liv almost considers begging, but settles for a sarcastic "Now what?"

"Don't worry, I came prepared." He's back to being her goofy friend for a moment as he scrambles off the bed to dig through his bag. He holds up a box of latex gloves filched from the lab, and she rolls her eyes.

"I figured we better be safe about this. I'm not sure I could really pull off the pale look. Though who even knows what would happen to a brown guy if he turned, maybe I'd just…" Liv interrupts his ridiculous musing by pulling him back down into the bed with her. She doesn't want to think about accidentally turning him, and she definitely wants to move on to whatever he's got planned next. "Right, right…" he mutters as he pulls on a single glove.

The feeling of his skin is definitely muted by the latex, but she can still feel the heat of his hand even through the barrier. And it's still so much more satisfying than her own hand. Liv lets out a contented sigh as Ravi runs gloved fingers down the seam of her, widening her legs to grant him further access. He slowly maps her folds, searching out the spots that elicit the best reactions. It would almost seem clinical except for the glazed look in Ravi's eyes and the way his breath is coming out in shaky pants. A thick finger finally dips into her and she groans at the pleasant stretch of it, realizing just how much she's missed this. She grips his arms as he begins to move his finger in shallow thrusts, winding her slowly tighter and tighter with each stroke. Suddenly it's not enough.

"Ravi, please…"

"What do you need, Liv?"

She pulls him down to wrap her arms around him, wishing she could kiss him, wishing there wasn't a single place they weren't joined together. But the awkward position forces Ravi to pull his hand away from her, and she whimpers at the loss. She's not sure how to ask for what she wants, whether she even should.

"Ravi, what else did you bring with you?" It's obvious what she's asking him, but she's offering him an out.

"You mean did I bring…?" Ravi is trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Yeah."

"I can…I mean yeah, I did, we can do that. If you're sure?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Now she's the one falling back on jokes, not really ready to deal with the magnitude of this. But Ravi is smiling down at her, and it reminds her that he wants this too, that he's not just putting himself at risk for her sake. He reaches over to his bag once again, this time bringing back a small foil square. They both work to rid him of his boxer briefs before Liv rolls the condom down his searing length. He moves to settle back over her, watching her face intently as he brushes his hands over her white hair. They both know this is no longer just an experiment, or even friends helping each other out. This will change things between them, but change might not be so bad. Ravi was right - changing was living, and she desperately wanted to feel alive again.

Finally, Ravi shifts to press a kiss to her forehead before slowly guiding himself into her. It's been a long time, and Liv savors the delicious fullness of it. She's still a little wound up from earlier, but she's in no real hurry to move. Ravi, however, is nearly shaking with the effort to stay still, and so she takes pity on him, rolling her hips upward. He gasps at that, and Liv takes the opportunity to run her hands through his hair again as she meets each slow thrust, hoping to elicit more soft noises from him. She is not disappointed. And she finds it hard to remain quiet herself. She once again wishes she could muffle her moans into a kiss, but she settles for pressing her lips to his shoulder instead.

Ravi is moving into her in earnest now. Things have been building up between them for longer than either of them has realized, and neither will last much longer. Ravi slips a still gloved hand between them to bring her even more swiftly over the edge along with him. He's uttering nonsense endearments into her ear, and how has she never truly appreciated his accent before this? She feels herself unconsciously digging blunt fingertips into his back, and marvels at the how much this man trusts her, how much she trusts him. It's this thought that finally takes her tumbling over the precipice. And ok, wow, if she wasn't already dead she thinks her heart might have stopped. She hasn't felt anything this intensely in a long time, every other sensation muted by her untimely death. Or maybe it's just them? Ravi's face is adorably scrunched, looking as if he is discovering the same feeling as he follows her. It takes them both a while to recover, neither saying anything for several minutes. But their relationship has always been filled with easy banter and the inability to take anything too seriously, and she finds she can't resist.

"So, no urges to eat brains?" Liv teases. Ravi answers with a grin.

"None at all. I think we can call that a success."

"I think we might need to test your theory a few more times." Ravi, unsurprisingly, agrees.


End file.
